Life in college football is all about surviving and advancing, especially this season. Only one Tier 1 national title contender failed in that aspect during Week 9, as No. 2 Ohio State faltered at USC, suffering a second loss that will complicate its outlook. But even though no other top-10 teams fell on Saturday, not all their wins looked the same.
No. 1 Miami and No. 4 Indiana struggled against unranked foes before squeaking out uncomfortably close wins. Against that backdrop, what the SEC's top teams who were in action accomplished was impressive. No. 3 Georgia, No. 11 Texas and No. 12 Ole Miss each avoided drama with easy wins.
Texas didn't suddenly look fixed offensively, but it crushed Mississippi State with no problems. Georgia's passing attack also dealt with some sluggishness, but the Bulldogs easily dismantled rival Florida. Ole Miss was in a battle with visiting Auburn until the fourth quarter, but the Rebels pulled away and won by 30.
Even if you aren't earning an 'A+' grade for a perfect performance, simply passing is the goal once you get to this time of year. Preferably, you'd like to pass without the fourth quarter drama that Miami and Indiana dealt with. The top SEC teams accomplished that this week.
We are handing out grades evaluating every team that started or ended the day with national championship odds of +3000 or better. LSU (+850) and Alabama (+950) were off. 2026 national championship odds listed below courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook. Teams listed in order of their AP Top 25 ranking.
Grade: B- Result: 38-35 win at North Carolina Title odds: +600Miami's defense finally came through with the game on the line, as Marquise Lightfoot's strip sack of North Carolina quarterback Billy Edwards with 5:33 remaining helped the Hurricanes avoid potential disaster. But Edwards and UNC offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino sliced and diced the 'Canes all night. Three opponents in a row have surpassed 400 yards against Miami after just one reached that threshold all last season.
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